knitting sprouts

hard to be green

2011-05-09T12:08:00.003+10:00

Why is it so so hard to do a green renovation?

Ages ago I posted on our little extension. More than six months after first meeting with a designer we have finally signed a building contract with a builder who is at least not resistant to any of the sustainable choices we are trying to make. He one of the only people we have come across in our journey who doesn't give us that look that says 'weirdo hippy lesbians'!

Frankly, I quite like being thought of as weird, its much more enticing than my perception of myself as a pretty mainstream suburban mother, but the frustrating thing is we aren't asking for anything that should be considered weird at all. The building industry is where some of the greatest innovations are coming from yet to do a simple extension in a thoughtful way can be a battle of wills and a test of resolve.

We have made it through the design and negotiations with the builder. We are building a plywood box onto the side of our brick house. It's reminiscent of a caravan annex and intended to not be able to be mistaken for anything but a contemporary addition to a 60's house. Our box will capture the best of our northern sun and has been designed around the most beautiful magnolia ever seen. This was the first parameter we set around the design and the start in a long line of choices we have had to justify more than once. Who designs around a plant? Weirdo hippy gardeners that's who!

But now we have a design that we love, the box will be light and spacious and connect us to our garden and it will probably be painted green!

Building starts next week and we are up to working out the details of the kitchen planning, which can be a whole other post!

loss

2010-12-21T17:04:00.002+11:00

We are a bit anxious and sad around here at the moment. A while back I blogged about the shawl I knitted for my sister. It turned out like this ...

Rather lovely isn't it? My sister has started her stem cell treatment and is at the stage where she is feeling the full, awful, impact of chemotherapy and should by now be starting to feel the benefits of the treatment, if it has worked. She told me the other day that the shawl has been very important to her and she couldn't imagine how she could have got through this without it.

But now she has to - because yesterday it dissappeared from her hospital room and can't be found anywhere.

There is something in a handmade gift that carries with it all the love and worry you have for a person and the loss of the shawl has had an enormous impact on all of us, escalating our grief and our anxiety. Our father anxiously called last night and asked if I find another and get it in the post NOW. All I want to do is get in a car and go and hold her tight, except I can't (the pirate has whooping cough and we both have to stay away).

If only I could make another in time, but it took weeks to make this one. Instead I'm sending the only other shawl I have, trusting it will go some way to helping, and hoping it makes it very very quickly through all this christmas mail.

plans

2010-11-09T11:43:00.004+11:00

I am working on a wee renovation - I have to confess I am a bit of a frustrated architect and the opportunity to design an extension is pretty exciting.

We have made a decision that the house should serve our life not our life serve our house so are doing our best to keep this extension as cheap as it could possibly be.

Designing on a small budget should be daunting and frustrating, but I have to say it is helping us to be more sustainable in our approach. My view on sustainable design and building comes from the perspective that to be sustainable we need to do as little as possible and reuse as much as possible. Magazines articles and architectural awards of beautiful houses promoted as sustainable often show a modest dwelling turned into an exercise in excessive consumption.

What I have found interesting in the response from friends when we tell them we are planning to all live together is that few believe we can possibly be without two living spaces, 4 bedrooms and the all that goes with it. But, 30 years ago a family of 5 would have lived in my less than 100m2 house and seen it as totally normal. We plan to find a happy medium.

So what are we doing?

We are starting with this

We are extending a 96 m2 60's tragedy to create a 124m2 wonderfully livable space for 5 people .

come back to find out how!

it's been a while

2010-10-25T17:06:00.009+11:00

my goodness, I was distracted a moment and totally lost track of time.

what happened to those two months? lots and not a lot particularly blogworthy.

there was some knitting for the Majura Primary School spring fair...

don't you love cheezezombie's slugs? I sold all three to 9/1o year old boys!

In amongst that was stealth knitting for my love's birthday....

fittingly 'van dyke' socks from the book 'socks from the toe up' and knitted in our own talented local dyer fibreweb's yarn - it was very beautiful.

They are very appreciated - and isn't that important for hand knitted sock recipients!

I've started a summer cardigan - I think I have managed an inch and that was on our recent holiday with about 2o hours in the car! Three kids on an 800km each way drive doesn't actually allow much knitting time I found. We had few lovely days in Armidale being proud at my love's doctorate graduation and visiting her family and some of the spectacular local spots.

We went horseriding. I really dislike horseriding. Horses scare me. A lot. In fact I think I would be more comfortable skydiving than being on a horse. Maybe. But the pirate was keen and I had to be brave.

the next little while is going to be so so busy too. You see we have plans....

They involve turning my 96m2 60's house into a 120m2 thing of beauty and fit for a family of five. It's fun and I am getting to totally indulge my frustrated inner architect. We are working very hard to keep it as sustainable as possible ( I plan to blog about that soon!). And cheap. The plans are off being tweaked and drawn up right now, all going well we will be able to afford it and find a builder who will start sometime in the new year.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention - my sister has started her stem cell treatment. She is amazing. And hairless. I think she is only the 2nd MS sufferer in Australia to be accepted for the treatment. So far it is going very well and we are all hopeful. The next step is the most difficult. Fingers crossed it will go well and she won't feel totally totally awful through the next lot of chemo.

bag it

2010-08-12T14:34:00.004+10:00

Not so much a creative space as a creative effort, because, although I am a design professional, I can't call my workplace particularly creative at all.

Sadly I have gone to the dark side and become a better paid bureaucrat.

For now my creative outlet is a little crafty activity - like my new bag, finished last night and proudly paraded today.

A Nicole Mallalieu design and the second version I have made.

pop over here for more creativity

fini

2010-07-28T10:53:00.003+10:00

specs.

Springtime Bandit Shawl.one extra repeat row.Grignasco tango yarn.4.5mm needles

creating in the sun

2010-07-22T07:36:00.004+10:00

Its a frosty frosty Canberra morning. For reasons I can't explain we are ready for work and school an hour early. Which leaves time for some more rows of the Springtime Bandit shawl sitting in the morning sun by my front window.

I am planning to give this shawl to my sister tomorrow when I visit her in Sydney.

Finished.

I didn't make her first haematologist appointment but hopefully want to make the second, which is next week (btw it looks like she will be accepted for a stem cell transplant which is very good news) .

Once again I may not be too realistic with my deadlines.

Hope your creative space is sunny too. For more head over here.

back

2010-07-14T10:02:00.003+10:00

we had a most wonderful holiday

There was bushwalking, kayaking, swimming,
treasure hunting, rock hopping,
sewing, lego creations, reading, snuggling, baking,
knitting and drawing.

And,of course, there was a toy society drop to arrange.

But rather than just making one little owl for the drop everyone had to have one to keep too! Everyone got busy,especially mothers.

Can you guess which one belongs to the pirate?

The cute one on the right was our drop. We left little owl outside the Currarong shops at the end of the holiday. I wonder who found him.

off

2010-07-06T20:17:00.003+10:00

we're on holidays!

off tomorrow and dopey with excitement

frantic with packing

there is plenty of crafty things to jam into the car in the morning

a toy society drop to prepare and drop where we are going

a shawl to finish

whales to watch

crabs to catch

wine to drink

books to read

a gorgeous gang of 5 to hang out with

pirates to look out for

only 12 hours to go!

creative hug

2010-07-01T07:58:00.005+10:00

In my last post I wrote a little about my sister's battle with MS. I want to say thank you for the lovely comments. I thought I would let you know that the good news is that she does not need to find a suitable donor, that they use her own stem cells. It is an amazing things isn't it?

We won't talk about how they do it though - that bit isn't so impressive.

I asked for some suggestions on a shawl for her - and now have some great shawls in my queue! It was so hard to choose - eventually I settled on the springtime bandit.

Except, I couldn't work out how to start it.

I scanned the internet for clues and even met a knitting friend for coffee. Working together it still made no sense. I tried to fudge it.

It didn't work - see?

The peak is more like a bite. I got a few inches in and found another mistake and this settled it. I realised I needed to make this shawl with love and mindfulness and not take my usual approach of ignoring mistakes and pretending not to be bothered by them. I took it apart and went back to the research stage.

I took another hour or so looking at lots of cast ons and finally found what I needed. It wasn't quite the deal but made enough sense to help me find my way. I am much, much happier with the result.

This is such a beautiful and quick knit, and I know will be perfect. I just want to finish it before the 13th, when my sister has her appointment with the Haematologist. Whether she proceeds with the transplant or not I think she will be needing a warm wool hug from her big sister to keep close.

for more creativity head over here.

getting by

2010-06-18T10:00:00.004+10:00

I posted recently on the virtues of frugal comfort. This fortnight some things popped up which meant my income dropped by 30% and I suddenly found I had live totally by those ideals.

The really frightening thing is that it has been possible. I couldn't sustain it for a long time, cause that means not enough wine!, but I could definitely manage it much more often than I have been.

And it has come at one of my peak birthday gift times. Which is rather good as it has given me the opportunity to practice my handmade pledge using all kinds of things from the stash.

firstly I made the pinni for Edie

Then the 2 days, which turned into 2 week, scarf for Jo

and yesterday the handwarmers for Karen

And now for the details.

The Pinni is taken from the wonderful 'Absolutetly A-line' book. It is a little shorter than planned, which happens when you are using left overs.

The scarf for Jo was knitted using Cascade Heritage Yarns -a totally divine soft yarn.
The pattern is a simple one I made up. I like the body of it, but the edges are very wonky, even after blocking, and it hasn't held any shape at all. In fact blocking for two days seems to have been a complete waste of time. But having said that I think it will be lovely to wear.

The pattern is
1st row k*yo, k2tog* repeat to end
2nd row Purl
continue with row one and two till it is long enough. Though I threw in an additional purl row a couple of repeats in at either end for effect. I am wondering if I had a k2 at either end I might have ended up with something more stable, or if I had used smaller needles, or....? Any suggestions are very welcome.

Finally the handwarmers are the easiest thing I have ever made and look totally lovely. They are made from Bendigo Rustic 8 ply in Red Currant - an old favourite. Pattern can be found here.

I really want to make so many more things than handwarmers to comfort my lovely sister. I may have mentioned before she has MS. This week she found out that it is worsening even with the wonder drugs she has been on. So now her only option for keeping or improving her mobility, and keeping out of a wheelchair in the next short while, is a bone marrow transplant. We are all scared. I have this need to make her shawls and wraps and things to snuggle into. I would love some suggestions for easy but beautiful ones I can complete in weeks rather than months.

dreamy sunday

2010-06-13T08:55:00.004+10:00

On a beautiful frosty and brilliantly sunny Sunday morning
the pirate is away visiting his first mate
the 2 day scarf is finally ready to cast off
blogs are being read
tea is being drunk
my house is being tended to
with cleaning and washing and painting
my soul is being tended to
with meditation and gardening and then
a whole evening and morning alone with my beautiful partner

I am satisfied

green

2010-06-05T12:16:00.004+10:00

Despite coming from a very enthusiastic quilting family I have rather avoided the whole quilting thing. I had really wanted to be doing something different and my own.

But the quilting bug has finally got me and I have all kinds of plans.

I wanted to start out small. I wanted to make a green quilt for throwing over my shoulders when doing my meditation. It needed to be uber soft and snuggly, with a great drape. I didn't want it too look at all formal - it needed to be a scrap quilt. And very simple.

I used a raft of green fabrics in the stash, including an old favourite sheet.

You may notice it looks rather rough or maybe 'rustic', or possibly even saggy. I went with a different approach than standard wadding and backing. I have a couple of old chenille bedspreads lying about which I haven't used in years. They are so beautiful I can't bear to part with them. I decided to use one to back this little quilt. I held my breath as I cut the chenille - terrified I would regret this waste of a lovely bedspread.

I love the result, even if it is saggy. It feels magnificently cosy.

Though before I embark on a 'real' quilt that would make my mum proud my basting needs to improve an awful lot and I really do need to learn to sew a straight line.

frugal comfort

2010-05-24T19:38:00.009+10:00

I once heard an expression of a way to live. It was about the past but it is something I aspire to. Frugal comfort. Now we would call it a sustainable lifestyle. For me it comes with images of warm fires, wholesome simple meals, friends, family, home and, especially, making do.

In the spirit of frugal comfort I have been on an unofficial and rather healthy break from buying sewing supplies. This has meant working through the stash of fabric and finishing off some long overdue projects, instead of spending all my spare time and and money shopping for supplies and not actually getting to the projects themselves. The pile of fabric is going down. It is a nice thing to behold.

So what have I been making? this past couple of weeks a bag for a gift from a felted opp shop jumper. I love making things from felted jumpers, but the right ones are very hard to come by.

And my new favourite cord pants, in what has become my favourite pants pattern. The cord has been hanging about for years waiting for me to get to it. I love the wide legs and making use of scraps of other fabric as a contrast (which was not only nice but necessary when I didn't have enough red cord). I have had them only 2 weeks and worn them just about all weekend for both weeks.

Now I am onto my first quilt using an old sheet, stash fabric and a vintage chenille bedspread. More on that later.

And about the scarf. I was still sick and didn't make it to Sydney, developed knitter's forearm and took a break. I am still only about 30% done, shamefully. Luckily I have a couple of weeks before the next visit to finish it off.

scarf

2010-05-21T12:02:00.007+10:00

Now I know it isn't complicated, or radical or completely amazing, but I made up a pattern and I am feeling a little pleased with myself.

You see, I had a dilemma. My sister suggested at 9pm last night that I make her partner a scarf as a 40th birthday present. I wish I had thought of this sooner. The party is tomorrow.

Then I had a yarn crisis - I just don't have anything at all in a colour that will suit.

Zip.

So I put in an emergency call to my friend just around the corner. She has a magnificent stash. Lucky for me we are both home sick with a cold - perfect for stash raiding and knitting. We greeted each other in beanies and woollens this morning, looking not very glam at all. But she did have the perfect yarn.

It is a Cascade Heritage sock yarn in colour 9872.

Now for the pattern. I only recently made a scarf that would have perfect, but this was for someone special and has already gone. Making another scarf in similar shades with a similarly easy and simple pattern didn't sound like much fun. And repeating a pattern feels a little impersonal. So I decided to waste time and devise a different pattern based on a scarf a friend bought.

I will let you know how it goes. I particularly like the bottom - which was a mistake to begin with. I just have to work out exactly how I managed it when I get to the other end. I estimate I have at least 10 hours of knitting time and only 3 hours till school pick up, a couple of hours tonight when kids are settled and then, provided I can convince someone to drive, 3 hours in the car to Sydney tomorrow.

I had better get off the computer and back to it!

a celebration of wool

2010-05-17T07:42:00.004+10:00

Yesterday was the yearly celebration of wool day at the Old Bus Depot Markets in Canberra, which you probably already know. It is the first time I have made it along, I think. I did make it to another woolly thing there but don't think it was quite the same event.

What made it so special was the chance to go and hang out with one of my best friends for a couple of hours without boys. We have 4 young boys between us (2-7), and while they are gorgeous, they do not go well with wool days at the markets. Or any markets for that matter. Last time we went near a market we lost one of them for quite some time.

I went in with an agenda. I was planning to not make any impulse purchases and to only buy something for a Featherweight cardigan. I found just the thing at the first stall I visited. But then had to check out the rest before making a purchase. Worried? I had this little pit of anxiety the whole time that the first thing would be the thing and by the time I got back there it would be long gone.

Luckily it wasn't.

Still waiting for me were three skeins of lovely Glenora Weaving's possum, merino and silk blend in the most sumptuous red. I have never used possum before so I am looking forward to trying it an awful lot.

I did end up with an impulse buy. But a rather good one. I bought some very beautiful skeins from the best local dyer . One of our local snb and spinning group folks, Carrie, also held a stall with my lovely friend from Buttontree Lane.

It was a good impulse buy - I know exactly what they are both for it feels good to be able to support the amazing Carrie.

icase

2010-04-20T19:21:00.002+10:00

I am working on being much more diligent this year with the handmade pledge and gifting. This month is a busy one with both of my nieces having birthdays.

The first is the lovely Anouk who has just turned 8. I love that she appreciates a handmade gift so much. I love that she gets it and treasures it more than some piece of plastic all new and shiny. This birthday I pondered what to make for some time and finally settled on a case for her iPod.

It is made from a felted op shop jumper, wool felt bought at the stitches and craft fair last year and a piece of fabric hanging about. I love that it didn't cost me a cent to make and that it turned out rather well if you ignore my inability to stitch neatly.

stealth scarf

2010-04-18T15:47:00.005+10:00

I have been working on a quiet little project. By stealth.

Now it is finally finished and turned out beautifully I think. Just the right amount of interest in the pattern for someone who does not like a lot of decoration. It drapes beautifully because of the lace detailing and the fine yarn. It feels gorgeous to wear.

The specs:
Pattern: one row lace scarf
Yarn: Jolly Jumbuck Hercules 4 ply.
Yardage: about 2/3 of a skein

another weekend

2010-04-12T09:01:00.006+10:00

It may seem that all my posts these days are about weekend adventures and not a lot of making things. We do seem to be having more than our share of weekends away, so much so that I am looking forward to the coming weekend at home with relief.

There are reasons for the lack of project progress, well several really. Of course, all the weekends away aren't helping.

Some stealth knitting is taking up most of my creative time, but I finished this on the weekend and should be able to show and tell in the next couple of days. It has turned out rather nicely.

The cardigan of the dreadful name isn't helping things. I started it as part of the knit-a-long we are having here in Canberra, but it is tedious and I keep finding other things to be doing that are much more fun. I am only about 10cm into the back and that is it. Totally it. I will say that after some initial concerns about the yarn it is coming up a treat and will make a beautiful cardigan. I just wish it was more fun to knit and I was an XS, rather than somewhat larger, to make the knitting shorter.

And I do have to admit I have been more than a bit preoccupied with a new relationship which puts making stuff to the side a little, in the nicest possible way.

So for now you get a shot of the weekend activity. The pirate has been deposited with the first mate in the blue mountains for a few days of the school holidays. We managed to fit in a bushwalk before I headed back down the highway to my very quiet house. This was the view on the walk. Not bad is it?

camping fun against the odds

2010-04-08T20:07:00.006+10:00

Would you believe I managed to go to the coast with a flat battery in my camera? I remembered everything else (except milk!) . It was very disappointing not to be able to record the events like:

5 people on airbeds in a smallish tent
the thrill of a fire all our own
two days and three nights of frequent rain showers and a flooding campsite
half the campsite kids playing the the back of my hatchback car
the skull and crossbones drawn in the inside lining of the car
the most amazing treasure maps every drawn
homemade pirate flags hanging from the trees
a mummified sea dragon found on the beach
a vodka bottle found complete with shells attached, and vodka inside still!
lace monitors wandering slowly around
possums running through the tent
illness and lemon and honey drinks
disintegrating camping chairs (not just one)
knitting and reading
and the best coffee on the site thanks to my atomic, the most essential camping item of all

Against many odds we had the most wonderful camping break.

last gasp

2010-04-01T15:31:00.003+11:00

It is the last last hint of summer.

I'm off to the beach camping here with my new love and our assorted kids for 4 whole days.

(not my photo)

I will be spending a lot of time digging in the sand for treasure. The pirate has the key, that opens the treasure chest he expects to find, ready.

Found in the drawer of a work colleague yesterday after the pirate sent me off with very particular instructions of what I was to find in my key quest.

We are going to have so much fun!

Hope your easter is wonderful.

where do you keep your spoon?

2010-03-31T07:46:00.005+11:00

The pirate has new friend at school. This is a huge achievement for him. School friends are not something he does well.

It is a boy in his class - I mentioned I didn't know which one he was. I got a description. With hand actions.

pirate - he is the one with the head like this (hands but a big bulge on the top of his head)
me - really??
pirate - and a forehead like this (hands make a ridiculously high forehead)
pirate - but he doesn't have a spoon on it or a spoon mark ( holds a spoon across his forehead)
me - why would he have a spoon mark?
exasperated pirate - I said he didn't have a spoon mark!!
me with new approach - it would be awful if he did have a spoon mark
pirate - yes all the kids would tease him a lot at school.
me - do you know someone with a spoon on their forehead?
Pirate with that mum has lost it look - No

any suggestions on the spoon impregnated forehead?

Oh and definitely patching the puppy - all is not lost!

evil or....

2010-03-29T12:18:00.004+11:00

I while back I mentioned I was making things for the school fete. Cute things.

I finished one and had left it sitting on a table.

Next to scissors.

Yesterday I noticed a hole. When I looked closer there was a definite cut. Two in fact.

I confronted the pirate who confessed straight away. There was no denying it really - even his quite sophisticated lying skills couldn't get him through this one.

why did he do it? All he can say is he didn't like it.

Didn't like it? What's not to like?

Should I let him live? I'm still thinking on it.

I am also considering the message in this.

Maybe it is to do with his mum being distracted by love.

or maybe he is just evil.

worry worry

2010-03-18T21:35:00.003+11:00

My lovely niece, who lives in Arnhem Land, rang me for a great big chat the other day.
It was wonderful.

I told her about the worry doll I had made for someone and she asked if I could make her one too.

So I did.

big girl's blouse no 1

2010-03-15T20:05:00.005+11:00

As part of March Big Girl's Blouse month I have, indeed, made a blouse of sorts.

It isn't too bad really. I made up the pattern from another sleeveless shirt I have that I really like. I made up the sleeves altogether, and to my utter surprise they worked! The top did require a little pinning and trimming whilst trying it on but otherwise was relatively painless. I even made my own bias so I am feeling a little smug right now.

It is a little exposing in the boobage area and does sit a little strange down the front. But as a first go I would say it could be called successful. My next challenge is to adjust the pattern of a buttoned shirt. I am not sure I can fudge that so well.

taking the worry away

2010-03-03T19:12:00.002+11:00

Someone I care about has been going though some big life changes.

I wanted to make her a little something but hadn't quite decided what when this month's mixtape arrived.

and there on page 28 was a pattern for worry dolls. very very cute worry dolls.

and now my friend's troubles are being spirited away by a little worry doll from me.

big girls

2010-03-02T09:20:00.002+11:00

Over at my fellow brown owl's place is an offer too good to refuse.

I have avoided making tops. Being a woman of generous proportions I have been too timid and unsure to start making major changes to patterns and the shapless larger tops just look awful on me. I have always intended to get around to making a top to fit - and even have one cut out to try that I mocked up from an existing top I have. But the whole process of carefully calculating and adjusting needs the kind of uninterupted day I just don't get.

A little incentive and moral support may just change all of that.

mindful

2010-02-24T10:45:00.005+11:00

I think I my have mentioned this before, but late last year I undertook a course in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. I didn't really appreciate it at the time, in fact, if I am completely honest, I came away a little disappointed. I expected a shift within me. In reality I felt exactly the same.

But the shift has come afterall. Not through being guided through a course, being diligent, doing my homework and talking about it to others.

It has come through making a commitment to practice and treat myself with compassion weeks after the course has finished. I have started over and I like where it is taking me. Between this and my decision to improve my health so I can live till I am 90 I am feeling pretty amazing and happy.

And life is returning this with more connections, more energy, more joy and fun.

Now I have made a commitment to practice 4 times a week, next week I hope to make it 5 and finally have it become part of my every morning.

Unfortunately this means not sitting up watching the box and knitting till 11.30. Some habits will be hard to break. But do you know in the US they have mindful knitting retreats? If I can find one here life will indeed be perfect.

the search ends

2010-02-19T12:29:00.006+11:00

I have invested so much time in the great cardigan hunt.

It has been so frustrating. But I think I now know what I want.

Sort of.

I am quite keen for something with a collar. Either fitted or swinging. Can't decide. It has to be able to cope with the country silk that is in skeins all over my lounge room, waiting.

I got a bit excited about this.

It isn't too bad at all in a librarian kind of way (no offence Jodie!). I could change the collar to make it a bit more my style. I quite like the shaping and the detail along the bottom. It is Jo Sharp's Essential.

Then I looked at the pattern - would you believe it only goes up to a 95cm bust! I have my Grandma Ethel's bust line and I will only say it is substantially more than a waif like 95cm. I'm not at all interested in trying to resize this pattern at the moment. So I am back to the 'other option'.

The 'other option' will be a dull knit - that is the only thing holding me back.

But it will look pretty fine in deep green and I think it might just suit me.

And I do love a big luscious button.

This one has the enticing and romantic name 'Jacket with collar and set in sleeves'. Makes you just want to rush out and make one doesn't it?

Thanks for the suggestions - it did help me work out what I was attracted to.

frogs and leeches

2010-02-17T21:24:00.004+11:00

On the weekend some friends joined the pirate and I for a night at Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands.

We stayed at the magical Bundanoon YHA . It has all kinds of fun things - including a climbing wall and a ping pong table. This was good because, as many may know, it rained a lot in this part of the world on the weekend. It rained an awful lot in Bundanoon.

Still we managed to get in some walking in Morton National Park, tadpole spotting and puddle jumping.

Bundanoon is famous for its Glow Worm Glen. It is a walk down down down into a little gorge filled with sparkling glow worms. Of course you can only see glow worms in the dark so it is even more fun. It bucketed down and the pirate was thinking it was fun at all and especially not relishing the walk back up the long track to the car. But we spotted a frog, and another and before we knew it we had seen quite a few and were at the top of the walk.

And the absolute highlight for the little people was gettting back to the hostel and discovering leeches on our legs and feet.

How awful, how gross, how ' I .think .I .am .going .to .have. a. complete. freak .out', but add salt and it becomes, how interesting!

first you need the tools

2010-02-16T19:35:00.006+11:00

The lovely Canberra snb are having a cardi knit a long. Its a good opportunity to make another other cardi. It is a good opportunity to enhance the stash.

If you haven't been working really hard to save some money.

And I have enough stashed away for two caridgans.

But both stashes were bought because they were a bargain, not because they sang.

In fact neither gets me too excited.

The problem has been solved through a little colour work to the Cleckheaton Country Silk.

I tried to cheat first - and was reminded of one of those life lessons that things should be done well - not half-arsed.

What should have been a one hour project ended up taking almost all day. But then I did it a better way.

But now I have some really nice yarn.

Except I have spent hours on Ravelry and can't find something I want to wear that will work with the yarn.

Nothing.

I can't face knitting something I can't anticipate loving. Could you?

moving along

2010-01-31T22:44:00.004+11:00

I see you are a little shy at the prospect of a fete - except for Button tree and bells of course. thats fine - I get it.

but to keep you from running a mile I shall change the subject entirely- I have a wee finished object.

a lace ribbon scarf insprired by nettie and for my lovely sister.
made with lush yarns silk merino 4 ply ( a delight)

a rescue mission

2010-01-30T10:16:00.009+11:00

A few days ago two friends and I had a night without children. On such an evening conversation turns to all kinds of things and, of course, at some point leads back to the school our children attend. This time it was particularly the dire state of the craft stall at last year's fete. There was a lot of stuff that just did not sell. It was heartbreaking for me and I can't even imagine how it must have been for the organiser.

We talked about what would make a truly great craft store and at one stage I was even pondering volunteering to coordinate before my friends talked my off the ledge. Instead we would make things, starting now.

One of of my friends had seen a wonderful little knitted toy made by a workmate. She thought it was a seller and even offered to learn to knit for the cause. I never pass up an opportunity to cultivate knitting friends.

The first thing we did when we got home and dispatched the babysitter was a Ravelry search.

It was this sweet little thing.

and then we followed the link to the book and all the other patterns

and before you could say 'how cute is that!' we were on the bookdepository site buying the book.

less than a week later we had the book, the knitting lesson was given and we are off and making.

Any more volunteers out there?

the socky 4 0's

2010-01-20T10:37:00.005+11:00

It seems to me that more and more of my friends are having big number birthdays. The ones with a 4 in front. I have to admit mine was some time back but then I started Uni as a practically geriatric 24 year old and these are mostly uni friends. I started a bit of a thing of making friends, only those who appreciate it of course, socks for the 0's. I have 2 friends celebrating 40 this weekend as a combined do. With this in mind I had saved the last pair I knitted, the Hederas, for one of these friends. But my true chaotic style I only realised on Sunday night that I really needed two pairs. Two friends = two pairs. I couldn't possibly give one knitted socks and the other say, a really nice book.

Luckily the second pair were bloke socks. I got some inspiration over at Bell's place and did a rav search for 8ply socks. This could be done.

I searched the stash at 8pm Sunday night and dragged out some Lincraft cosy wool. It had to do. I wanted to do a contrasting heel, cuff and toe to funk it up a little and pulled out some, what I think is, Jo Sharp Silkroad tweed. I cast on and got through about 2cm of cuff ribbing. I was worried. I looked to me like a potentially baggy sock. I hate a baggy sock.

Luckily help was at hand - I emailed bells next day and got some specs from her sean socks as they looked so good. Bells based her's on Thuja. I took a look and they are quite lovely. And so I started again, slightly different to the pattern. I went for 48 st and 3.5 needles. I came home from work unwell on Monday, around lunch time. By bedtime one was done. finished. completely! I cast the second on the next morning around 10 and by tea time it was done. I couldn't believe it - I am not a very fast knitter but I managed to finished these socks in only two days.

I didn't end up with the contrasting heel and toe as you can see. I didn't like the way the silkroad knitted up - it was stiff and scratchy and not at all what I wanted my friend's toes to be snuggling into.

I am feeling rather pleased with myself.

Oh and....

2010-01-19T23:22:00.003+11:00

This is too good not to share - and I should have mentioned it in the last post.

The pirate broke his arm sword fighting.

It really is true.

phew

2010-01-16T20:36:00.006+11:00

well that was christmas 09. I took a little while to get over it. I won't bore you with all the details - it was busy. it was fun. it was productive.

it was too short.

here is a snippet which includes presents, renovations, a broken arm, the first visit of the tooth fairy, knitting, walking in the mountains, lounging in the mist, a new bike for the pirate, a letter from santa, a letter to santa, heatwaves, vegies, job applications, visitors, friends, parties, naps, sewing, cleaning, freecycle, plans, crushes, wine, champagne, grandparents, air conditioning, travel, new friends, new resolutions, new plans, and a whole lot of love and friendship

Honestly I think I am the luckiest person alive with the friends I have and the support I get. I hope you are as lucky.

And what did I learn these holidays?
that my aircon does work, that freecycling can get rid of mountains of stuff and it feels very very good, that the tooth fairy can remember to come, that a waterproof cast does exist, that it does not come in green, that it costs quite a bit, that you can knit a scarf and not go insane, that stones and a mountain stream can keep 4 boys under 8 occupied for hours, that march flies like blue, that it does get hot in Guthega, that you can get good coffee in Cooma, that knitting socks from the toe up is fun, that you can find a pattern for pants that isn't too bad, that having an oven again is magic, that the pirate can cope with a broken arm without too much problem, that a child can have a broken arm for days and a mother not be sure it really is hurt, that new birkenstocks feel fabulous, that shopping for clothes and fabric after a fabric and clothes diet feels fantastic, that leaving salmon in the car in 5 days of over 35deg isn't at all good, that eggplants produce very very well and peas only grow with mulch and much much more.

I hope your 2010 is a lovely one.

let the silliness begin

2009-12-21T13:20:00.007+11:00

Oh the relief of school being over and the promise of 6 weeks of holidays.

It does strange things to a pirate, especially when his favourite grown up is visiting.

She shares his quirky humour and goes along with his eccentricity.

Last night she and the pirate dressed up and took me to dinner at the local shops.

It was all rather dandy.

I hope things are silly for you too.

creative space

2009-12-16T22:11:00.006+11:00

I recently went to a party. It was a very unusual event for me.

It was fancy dress - I would have said I hated fancy dress but I made a decision to just go with it. And several hours before the event I finally decided on a costume. Obi-wan.

In what will seem a theme, I made the costume at a friends house while we were there for a leisurely lunch. As soon as work started I had 5 small boys all playing starwars around and on the sewing machine with little figures. The excitement was palpable and I must say there is little better way to impress a 6 year old son than to decide to be a jedi. way cool.

The costume wasn't bad. The party was fabulous. I crawled into bed at 3.30 in the morning.

At 6am the pirate woke me. He NEEEeeeeDED to get that costume on.

Given all the interest I decided that Jedi cloaks should be the christmas present this year, so when the pirate and I were invited back to visit the first mate on the weekend it had to be on the condition of taking the sewing.

Again I took over a friends dining table for the jedi cause.

and because sewing lots of brown poplin on a hot day does get tedious I had a little support.

6 down and 2 to go.

maker's market

2009-12-01T15:58:00.005+11:00

The pirate and I were in Melbourne for the weekend. I dragged my good friend out of the city and off to Daylesford for a day in the country and to visit the Daylesford Maker's Market.

Oh such crafty and blogging goodness. The market had much more than its fair share of blogging superstars out of the 30 or so stalls there.

great photo from here

It was great to catch up with Jodie again for a start - and I did manage to spend my market budget almost entirely at her stall. All those cute robots!

Curlypops had great bags and brooches, Kootooyoo had amazing and gorgeous little mp3 player speaker tins as well as a pile of other stuff. And then there were all the bloggers and stallholders I didn't know about but am slowly catching up on here. There must be some kind of creativity gas pumping out down in Victoria.

The pirate was, well, a pirate. In his full splendor. He was duly admired but he repaid the kind attention by wondering at the cleverness of people who could not tell the difference between a pirate costume on a 6 year old and a real life pirate! 'Don't they know I am not a real pirate? I am a kid!' So if you ever see the pirate about remember it is all about the costume and an extraordinary boy.

umm....

2009-11-30T21:06:00.006+11:00

I don't know about you but a blog break makes me all anxious about where to start. I was computerless for a couple of weeks and now I have things to share that seem so old news.

I have been doing a mindfulness meditation course these past few weeks. Last week we were discussing depression. How simple things can become when they are broken down, as my teacher did explaining depression as a conglomeration of emotions - including, particularly for some, loneliness. I had never thought about it this way before, but loneliness was put simply as a need to share.

Simple.

Essential.

It struck me how blogging is important for me as a place to share a part of myself and to be encouraged, as we all need, and for me to take a step out of the way of depression.

And a gorgeous handmade wool covered one at that.

Thank you for sharing.

The photos are of recently FOs - Hedera Socks, French Press Knits slippers finished, and seeing as they are so very good, a second pair, which were sent on their birthday way without a completed photograph. Sometimes giving is just too exciting to remember the photographs.

reunion

2009-11-11T13:01:00.003+11:00

On Friday afternoon the pirate and I were hanging out at home discussing the pros and cons of having a brother. He would like one - a twin one. He misses the first mate desperately. It occurred to me that we didn't have anything particularly important planned for the weekend and 20 minutes later we were in the car and on the way back to the blue mountains to reunite these boys who love each other so much.

In fact, I overheard a magical conversation between them last weekend. They were discussing the options around marriage and how they felt about it. The first mate declared he did not want to marry a girl - No, agreed the pirate. The first mate reasoned that if you married a girl you had to have babies and they didn't want babies. No, agreed the pirate again - babies were awful. Who will you marry? I asked, and of course each other was the answer.

Being in the mountains, with its common misty cool weather, provides the perfect setting for settling in for an afternoon of knitting. I have been very frustrated with a particular pattern I want to knit from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls book. I have made many attempts at getting pattern working - and it has just not been lining up. I put it away several times and tried again later. On the weekend I was determined to work it out. It is my first attempt at laceweight knitting and I thought it was me being inept. But guess what. The pattern is wrong. WRONG!.

So now that I have finally worked that out and worked out how to get it right I am off.....

It was Rhododenron Festival weekend in Blackheath - but I was much more excited about this Waratah I found on my morning walk.

Creative Space Thursday

2009-10-29T12:18:00.005+11:00

This week I cannot blog about the handicraft type things I am creating. I wish I could. But they must stay a big big secret.....for now.

I can talk about another very creative project I have been working on this week. I did post on it way back in the planning phase. Now that it is coming to fruition it is very, very exciting.

The pirate's school is the first Canberra school to get a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden grant. As the resident landscape architect parent I am getting involved in a few school projects and designing this garden has been a wonderful experience. I have met some fantastic new friends with similar philosophies about gardens, sustainability and community. See how good we are?- almost all of us arrived by bike, even with tools!

This week I got to lay out the great curving planter beds along an old driveway, making sure they were just so - but was beaten to it by over-enthusiastic blokes when it came to applying the power tools!

I am quite chuffed with them, I must say.

For more creative spaces head this way.

keeping mum

2009-10-28T22:16:00.005+11:00

I can't say much at the moment - I am making swap and present thingys and I really really want to show them off. But I can't.

There are other things afoot in the house of sprout. The pirate is having his big 6 birthday party tomorrow. It is way too exciting. Think of me after school with 8 little kindy boys being sugared up and destroying the house.

I will leave you with a photo my almost 6 boy took of us today. I have given him an old camera and suddenly he is no longer camera shy. Why didn't I try that 3 years ago when he stopped consenting to be photographed? He does need some tips on composition, focus, closeups and using a flash...... then we may even get a shot in focus. And I do need to get him to take photos of something other than cartoons on tv.

Isn't he lovely?

creative space poolside

2009-10-22T08:21:00.000+11:00

One of the many charms of knitting is that you can take it anywhere.

Poolside at Thursday swimming lessons, for instance, finishing off the Hedera Socks.

for more creative spaces pop over here

pfing

2009-10-17T23:04:00.007+11:00

I love my new Pfaff.

Love it. Love it. Love it.

After seeing them at the Sydney Stitches and Craft Fair I ordered a bag pattern from Nicole Mallalieu Design.

My Pfaff and I made one for a friend.

She liked it.

it's a Canberra thing

2009-10-17T19:56:00.014+11:00

One of my favourite events of the Canberra calendar is the twice yearly Australian Native Plant Society (ANPSA) plant sale. It is one of those events which I don't think could happen anywhere else - it is so quintessentially Canberra. And it is great fun and a little eccentric.

Canberra is full of retired public servants, professionals, academics and people who love a system. The ANPSA is these people. They take their efficiency very, very seriously.

Conscientious Canberrans arrive early. Lots of them. They queue up from the entrance gate back along the road for a couple of hundred metres. I have a better trick - but I won't be giving that away here.

The people that come have usually planned ahead, studied the list of plants, worked out a strategy and brought crates, bags, trolleys, boxes and other assorted systems for collecting plants.

The crowd surges forward and race each other, in a rather polite way, up the hill to where the plants are all laid out alphabetically. There is a frenzy to find the plants you most desire. Families separate, each with a list of target species, people rush this way and that. Trays and crates are filled. The experienced amongst us know which plants usually go first and head that way before going to find the ones we aren't so desperate to get.

Then we head off to pay for them. Now this is also part of the fun.

Paying for the plants is a 4 stage system. 4.

First someone takes them out your bag and puts them into trays according to size. DO NOT try to help. They get snappy. That person slide the tray along to someone who counts them and fills in a specially printed tally form. They then slide it along further to someone who checks the tally and takes the payment. Then that person slides it along to someone who takes them out of the tray and helps you put them back in your box/bag/crate etc. 4 steps.

I heard one woman this morning congratulating her girls ( 7 & 9 ish) for their marvelous skill in the quest. She joked, or maybe she wasn't joking, that they had spent the night before drilling the plant names.

I did quite well out of it.

And it inspired another wonderful spring afternoon in the garden.

what a weekend

2009-10-12T08:16:00.004+11:00

My lordy I had a busy and productive weekend.

We had the first mate and family here and lots of pirate action. The pirate was in character almost all weekend practicing his Jack Sparrow mannerisms except when we went to the markets when the pirate and first mate were star wars characters in their capes. I wish this dressing up would never end. It is magnificent.

We had the kind of weather that just makes you want to be outside in the garden. I finally built a vegie garden.

I mowed the knee deep back lawn, extended the chicken run, weeded weeded and weeded.

I got to play with my new toy - and yes I was all a quiver!

The clothkit dress for my niece. Cute isn't it?

A couple of little sacks - one for the lovely woman who sold me the machine. The other for ???

And on top of that I knitted, cooked a dinner party for 8 adults and 7 children, did all my washing, collected straw and chook food from the produce store, cleaned eggs, socialised, and, and..... I am way to tired to go to work today!

pfing

2009-10-09T19:33:00.004+11:00

On my way to the mountains last week I detoured to Sydney to my sister's house. It was not just for the company, thai food, wine and Canasta games late into the night.

It was a carefully executed plan all for me to pick something up that has been on lay-by for months. ta-daaa.....

The logistics were something else. I put the machine on lay-by through a friend of my mothers who happened to be filling in at a sewing shop in Newcastle. I made regular payments over the phone. Last week knowing I was going to be within spitting distance of Sydney, everything was put in place for the delivery. My mother's friend had the machine transferred to the Maitland shop, where she usually worked, early in the week. Payday came Thursday and I made the final payment to the Newcastle shop. The call was made to my mothers friend to let her know it was OK to take the machine home, where my mother collected it Thursday night, lovingly strapped it into a seatbelt and brought it down to Sydney after work Friday. Thanks Mum.

Thanks to my family who all put something towards it for my birthday.

The stash diet will now be very hard to stick to! Now I am off to use it for the very very first time. I will let you know how it goes.

mountains and mist

2009-10-05T21:22:00.008+11:00

You know how your body just lets go and relaxes when you go somewhere you feel at home and connected to? I had one of those experiences this weekend visiting the misty Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountains are where my father grew up. It is where we went for weekends as children, where I got to know my grandmother as a young child and where I have returned for bushwalking weekends throughout my adult life. When I am there I feel connected to my grandmother, Ethel. She was an amazing woman who, like many others, supported her family when her husband decided a good drink was more important than food on the table. Interestingly his drinking was what sent them to the mountains in the first place. They were set up in a house by his family, hoping it would be far enough away from drinking influences in Sydney, and while the drinking did not improve, in fact it thrived on the train commute to the city each day, it did give us the mountains.

My favourite story of the many about my grandmother was how she came into some money around the time she retired from nursing. Without my grandfather's knowledge she had a house built in Katoomba. One night, while he was at the pub, she moved into her lovely little house. Alone.

I loved her very dearly and think of her most days even almost 30 years after her death. I know she would have loved the pirate.

So back to the mountains. I love so many things about the place. I love the wild wild bush. I love that it till has some of the feel of a 1930's hill station retreat. I love that it has junk shops and bookshops galore. I love the stonework everywhere.

I love most the eclectic mix of houses. I especially adore the old ones, a bit shambly, with a wild garden, a bit of stone work and an old fence. It is so different to Canberra where finding the quirky and eclectic takes a much more trained eye.

The mountains experience is different for the pirate. The reason we were there though was to visit our friends and to drop the pirate off for a few days sleepover with the first mate. He found it confusing and difficult to be in a strange house in a strange place even if the furniture and people are very familiar. I was a little worried leaving him this time. He is usually so relaxed about being with different people and sleepovers but his time he was less settled. We talked about it a bit and then he seemed fine when I left. 4 hours driving later I was just coming into Canberra when I had a call from my very upset boy who is missing me and feeling too far away. He felt much too far away for me too hearing his voice and his sadness. He couldn't even finish the conversation, breaking down and running off somewhere to cry it out. It was all I could do not to turn straight around and do that 4 hours all over again. Thankfully I didn't - cause it all seems fine afterall.

Creative

2009-09-30T12:03:00.004+10:00

The pirate, who is doing much better than I expected, went to a holiday program arts class yesterday with Creative Catalyst. The theme for the day was road warriors.

This is the pirate's invention. Complete with Star Wars Cockpit.

I went to collect him in the afternoon and stayed for half an hour playing with tools, wire and cardboard! It was magic in a room full of happy kids making a huge mess.

I don't know about the pirate, but I can't wait till the next time.

sad

2009-09-28T20:00:00.003+10:00

We are more than a little sad at our little house at the moment. The first mate and his lovely family moved north today. They have been staying with us for the past few days - it has been wonderful chaos. We left this morning to a house full of energy and noise and came home to stillness and utter quiet.

My pirate is miserable and lost. It is going to be a difficult week with lots of cuddles.

I may even slip in a few kisses.

creative space

2009-09-17T09:54:00.004+10:00

My creative space this week is mobile. I am in Darwin at a conference and when I have free time I am doing a crawl of cafes with good airconditioning so I can knit. It is too stuffy in most of the rooms at the conference venue, good but dull in the hotel room, impossible outdoors and just right in this cafe.

The thing I love about knitting at a conference is it is such an icebreaker, particularly with women. I love that you find all kinds of closet knitters in these conversations and make friends you never would talking work.

These are my Hedera socks. one down one to go. If only I could knit on the almost 6 hours of flying time I will be doing later today.

For more creative spaces head over here.

a little greener

2009-09-16T15:21:00.007+10:00

photo

Lately I have been thinking more about how I am impacting on the planet. Every so often my energy and commitment to this surges - maybe it is a spring thing.

I have already ticked all the usual boxes - energy saving light globes, shower head, composting, recycling etc, but I know I could do much better. I have signed up for the million women campaign to support a great cause and also to remind me to do the right thing.

I am loving reading a blog about just one ordinary woman's efforts and the big and little things she can do and I am inspired. I have been trying to not buy, to consume less. It isn't easy at all, in fact I am finding it really tough. Buying things feels good, lets face it.

I have bought some great yarn and fabric lately, and received some fantastic swap gifts. For the remainder of 2009, I vow to not buy any new materials - no yarn, no fabric, no buttons, no clothes, nothing.

It is going to hurt, but I hope to finish a whole heap of projects I bought gear for but haven't got around to starting, and get into some more upcycling. Will you join me?

I also want to thank you so much for your encouragement when I was panicing about presenting at the conference. It really did help. I did it. It went well. I could do it again now. And it is going to look great on a CV!

take a jumper

2009-09-08T22:43:00.003+10:00

First you find an old jumper at a local op shop

then you throw it in the washing machine on a hot wash

Next you cut the arms off the now felted jumper and sew up the base and neck

and finally add a little something cute

and what do you get?

what next in my creative space?

2009-09-03T20:58:00.006+10:00

This week my creative space is still, except for knitting of course. I have about a million sewing projects I want to start right now. But I am spinning in circles trying to decide which way to go.

Will it be the purchase from this site ? When I came across it I immediately rang my sister - the one with more income than me and a very cute 2 yr old girl - I had to get my hands on this and I knew she would love it and happily indulge me so I could indulge her daughter. The kit arrived yesterday. I would show the really really cute packaging ..... but I didn't stop long enough to take a photo.

Will it be the Day Bag for my friend, using some blue corduroy and some fabric I picked up in Melbourne?

or a bag from the felted op shop jumper hanging on the line?

or perhaps a cute softie from tthe softies book the girl across the street just got for her birthday and we are all so excited about,

or more pants for the pirate - like these ones, which I am told are 'to weird to wear mum'

or, or, or ?

scared witless

2009-09-01T10:47:00.005+10:00

I have to give a paper at a conference in a couple of weeks.

I still have to write the presentation.

I still have to coordinate with the other two people (I have never met) on the panel we will do after.

I have never done this before.

I am too scared to even think about it.

I have given presentations and lots of community events and that was OK.

But this is different.

There is an expectation that I will be entertaining and also tell people something they don't already know.

What if they already know it all?

It is about this.

(that's me with the Chief Minister of the ACT and the Federal Minister for Infrastructure Anthony Albanese showing them what we are building - like the hard hat?)

This is my baby. I have lived and breathed it for months, amongst managing another dozen or so projects about the place.

Specifically my presentation is about blogging and community engagement.

and I have to leave the pirate behind for 4 days to fly to Darwin to do it.

What was I thinking?

it's OK, I guess

2009-08-30T21:58:00.001+10:00

I have finished Amelia.

She is nice but she does not set my world on fire like Flair did.

She is a serviceable and comfortable cardigan - but no fashion statement.

Maybe it is the yarn - Rowan felted tweed.
Maybe it is the pattern
Maybe it is the colour - brown.

she is rather unexciting.

don't you hate that?

gal in boots

2009-08-29T23:36:00.000+10:00

Recently a fellow blogger told me that my avatar had worried her - either I was very very ill or a radical performance artist who wore too much make up. I promised that I would reveal the background sometime.

Years ago I moved to the hinterland behind Noosa to work less, grow more and make things. It was a very creative and productive time for me. Things were sprouting in more ways than one. The local rainforest vegetation mesmorised me. I became obsessed with seed pods - all the wonderful variety of them. They became a symbol of this period of creative and personal growth. They turned up in everything I did - prints, ceramics, paintings. I even named my design business after them.

We were very lucky to have ceramic studio in our little town. I enrolled instantly - keen to nurture my developing love of this craft. Ceramics and pods converged in this little work.

I wanted more.

Around this time I became involved in the management of a local community arts centre. I learnt about grant writing. I had always loved the work of Bev Hogg and had worked with her on the upgrade of Dickson Shops in Canberra a couple of years previous (in my day job as a landscape architect). I asked Bev if she would do a weekend workshop if we got a grant.

We did. She did. It was magnificent.

And now I get to the point - the work I started at that workshop and lovingly developed over the following weeks was my 'Gal in Boots' - complete with a pod under her arm and boots to deal with the mud (there was lots of mud).

She has always had pride of place in my house and been kept safe from tottering toddlers. After the pirate, she is the thing I would rescue in a fire. She is also my avatar and model for knitted hats.

And now my life has moved on and back to Canberra, away from the heat, the lack of options for young people, the growing number of retirees. My creative life self is satisified with other pursuits, for now. One day I will get back to ceramics. It is in my bones.

tales of seduction part 4 - a creative space

2009-08-27T13:06:00.002+10:00

I am enthralled by skirts.

After thinking I might never wear the cute one I made recently, with your encouragement, I did.

It felt very fine.

so I made another -to a slightly different pattern, one I made up myself.

I am not sure how far this will take me, but I am enjoying the ride for now.

Amelia

2009-08-26T13:03:00.004+10:00

Amelia is lovely.

Amelia is nearly finished

Amelia is too big to leave the house.

(and for those clever people who noticed - yes the twisted rib is all wrong. Next time I must read the instructions)

Time to start something portable. Something to take to the city snb tomorrow
(oh please let me be well enough)

And it shall be ....

Hedera in Araucania rancho.

enhanced

2009-08-25T13:12:00.005+10:00

I am home sick and have a laptop nearby. I don't know about you but for me it is dangerous. I can spend hours browsing blogs and following links to websites that sell yarn and fleece and fabric and patterns and books and sewing supplies, and don't even get me started on etsy!

Fortunately for my bank balance my birthday swap gifts are still arriving - and are a good reminder that I do.not.need. more yarn, fleece.....

I signed up for this swap because not one of my close friends get the knitting/making thing - they just don't do it. I go green with envy when I read those posts with photos of knitters getting mountains of magical yarn as presents.

This has been my favourite swap because it is nice to treat someone and the expectations are manageable. I don't need to get carried away trying to keep to budget with gadgets, yarn and chocolate. It is definitely one I will sign up for next year - cause look what happens when you have a birthday. Thank you for this wonderful one Chelle.

the flavour of my day

2009-08-24T12:50:00.006+10:00

looks like this

sniff. groan.

But it does give me time to put this together.

I blogged yesterday about the Sydney Stitches and Craft Fair.

see what leapt into my bag?

tally
2 skeins (one in a great scarf starter kit) of Lush Yarn
A couple of pieces of fabric from Ink and Spindle
off cut pack from Surface Art
off cut pack and a couple of cute kiddy tshirts from Sprout Design
a wonderful felt brooch from Dudley Redhead
a couple of cute badges from Shelbyville
gorgeous woollen felt from winterwood

I went over my budget. oops.

Not sure where to begin

2009-08-23T21:20:00.005+10:00

I went to Sydney this weekend - a visit to the Stitches and Craft show dovetailed nicely with handing on some extra children I have been responsible for for a few days -and visiting my sister.

I was at that show for 6 hours! (you can tell I was without the pirate)

I was so completely shattered by the end and even champagne could not revive me.

The good news is it was nice to see some wonderful fabrics in the flesh and some clever crafty people flogging their wares. But, it was a very disappointing turn out for the knitters - only 1 stall selling yummy yarn not available at one of the local shops.

They did have these great drop in spaces where you could learn a skill or just join in. I knitted a cup cosy thingy at the knitting drop in and had a lovely chat to some ladies from the knitters guild. The cup cosy was great timing as my sister has those latte cups that will burn your skin clean off if you don't have a buffer of some type, as I discovered that morning. Knitted cup thingys are so much more sexy than a paper towel.

But the most fun was meeting the famous ric rac , having a big belly laugh in her talk on blogging, and getting up close with those cute bots. Jodie had some notes up for the talk and I could see the name of my wee blog up on them. Big breath......Eek, - I really hoped this would turn out to be a good thing, wondering what on earth she was going to say. And it was in the context of a community you meet through blogging and how complete strangers can be supportive - so all good, and fun. And don't we all love a bit of good attention? So thank you Jodie - you made my day, and I promise to do a post on my avatar to put it into context and show it is not me wearing scary scary make up!

I came home with a cold, less money in the bank - and some things to show off next time.

my creative space

2009-08-20T10:45:00.002+10:00

I moved out of the 'master' bedroom some time ago. It has a much better purpose as the sewing-study-craft-guest-junk-ironing room than a sleeping space. It has a huge north facing window - which over looks the front yard. This is good for two reasons - I can keep up with everything happening in my street, like the neighbourhood busy body, and can keep an eye on the pirate and first mate playing in our lovely front yard while I sew.

The sun comes in and a skirt is on the machine. It is a good day.

For more creative spaces check out this.

ask

2009-08-18T09:36:00.004+10:00

I am a strong believer in putting what you need out to the universe and most of the time it will work out for you, it sounds a little new age, but that is not where I am coming from, and it works.

For instance I wanted to move back to Canberra and I wanted a little house in the inner north that would be sunny and warm and within my price range, which was really very low for the area. Friends doubted and counselled me to be more realistic. But my little house came through with $500 to spare and a location which couldn't have been better.

I needed support and community and who should be across the road but the first-mate and family. I had met them briefly a couple of times over the years through mutual friends. I had last met them several years before when we both became god-parents to two lovely boys. It was destined to go on in this way, but my little house is across the road from theirs, and they had a boy the pirate's age. It is the universe I tell you.

(We won't talk about them moving right now)

And now it has worked for me again - at a smaller scale. I recently indulged in a beautiful set of harmony interchangeables. I love them. The set came with 4 cables - plenty you would think.

it isn't.

I have a few projects on the go - like the box-lace wrap, a touch yarns ribbed vest and of course my Amelia.

I am up to the sleeves on the Amelia - it is one of those patterns where you keep the body on hold while you knit the sleeves and then attach them all together for the shoulders and finale. For the first sleeve I ended up using my 120cm cable - it is ridiculously long and I spend more time feeding it through than I do actually knitting I am sure. I was thinking I really needed to get myself some more cables.

Last night I came home to a wonderful package on the verandah. It is part of the birthday swap and now it is my turn to be treated. Guess what was in the parcel? Of course you did - a shorter interchangeable cable. The added beauty of this is that last night I started the second sleeve and I didn't have to put everything onto waste yarn - I just started up with the new cable.

Thank you universe - and toffle, for this and the rest of my wonderful gift.

no brain

2009-08-16T17:39:00.005+10:00

I do have things to say - really I do.

But hayfever season came early as my birthday present and

my brain will not work.

picture

wingnut wendy

2009-08-14T16:01:00.004+10:00

My 9 yr old neighbour is facinated by the whole Toy Society thing.

So I made a toy and showed her how it goes.

She was interested to a point.

Really I think she just wants to find one.

But then wouldn't you?

Meet Wingnut Wendy (in honour of my wingnut pirate).

Wendy was left at Dickson Library yesterday.

I wonder where she is now.

domestic goddess

2009-08-12T11:33:00.003+10:00

There is a glaring gap

between the domestic goddess I long to be

and the time poor woman I am

I am almost comfortable with that

tales of seduction part 3

2009-08-09T20:44:00.006+10:00

I have been buying books - like this

Now I need more time to make things.

like this

I have the perfect old velvet curtain I picked up at an op shop a hundred years ago

and this

This may leave you with a mental image you don't need - but I have a big head. I usually can't get hats to fit. The ability to make a cute cloth hat that fits my head without inflicting pain fills me with happy thoughts.

and so the seduction continues.

more from the north

2009-08-09T20:40:00.004+10:00

I said I was finished with tales of the north - but I forgot to flash the artwork I bought - and I can't have that.

Behold...

My creative space

2009-08-06T13:37:00.001+10:00

I'm new to this game.

it looks like fun - I love popping around and seeing what all those clever women out there are up to.

Tales of Seduction Part 2.

My creative space is given over to quilting after a 25 year absence - makes me seem old a very early starter. All those new books on craft and quilting have me lusting after projects. Then I discovered Addicted to Fabric. Love.

For more creative spaces visit the very crafty Kootoyoo.

for the gardeners

2009-08-03T20:26:00.005+10:00

I really do have to share. This came to me from one of my fellow community gardeners. A clever idea, though I am sure not a first, a great set of short films and great music.

I love it. It makes me smile. For more go to Truck Farm

tales of seduction, or folly, part 1

2009-08-03T09:59:00.002+10:00

they are everywhere

beautiful

easy to make

fun

I couldn't help myself

I had to try one out

But, I don't wear skirts. I thought I could get past that. I suspect I won't ever wear it out.

oops

winner

2009-08-02T10:50:00.006+10:00

Amidst the washing, cleaning and pyjama wearing of a sunny Sunday morning we have a winner of the yarn giveaway.

All care was taken with setting up a sophisticated draw.

The pirate was kind enough to act as the Lottery official.

Congratulations Linda!

Then the first mate wanted to join in the fun.

And so in the spirit of the occasion a mystery consolation prize will go to Dilly Dally too!

This really is very good fun.

Linda and Dilly Dally can you please email your postal address to knittingsprout@gmail.com. Have a lovely rest of the weekend everyone.

le crash

2009-07-28T10:31:00.004+10:00

This is my 100th post. To celebrate I am offering a little gift - see the end of the post for details.

I entered the Tour de France knit along with the hope that the expectation and competition of it all would get me to complete a cardigan in three weeks - I knew it would be a challenge, but was ready to push myself. And I wanted that cardigan.

I started it in the frantic lead up to going on holidays, but thought I could catch up in the time away. I missed two whole days stuck in the air without knitting needles. I took it camping - except we forgot to pack all forms of light and so plans of knitting around the campfire once the kids are asleep were scuttled. I snatched a little time.

But then tragedy struck. An over exuberant small person jumped on my knitting and broke my needle midway through our holiday. I didn't have a spare. I ordered on on the net hoping it would be here when I got home. It wasn't. When I finally got to my emails I had given the wrong credit card info and IT HADN'T BEEN SENT. The replacement arrived on Thursday - but knowing I was so far behind took the fun out of it all and I let myself get distracted. I am still only a third of the way through.

Amelia might just be ready for the end of this winter, but I suspect she is now more likely to be a next winter wear.

And the lesson learned is always carry a spare.

And for post 100 I am offering a skein of my hand dyed 4ply yarn. A lovely semi solid apple green in merino and nylon 80/20.

all you need to do is leave a comment and I will randomly select a winner and make contact. edited to add - you have till Saturday this week when I will draw a name sometime in the afternoon - good luck

last of the deadlies

2009-07-27T09:40:00.006+10:00

We have been back almost a week and the holiday is starting to fade in the hurly burly of daily life. However, I am not quite done with tales of food and near death experiences and so make this one last post - then you will hear no more of it, I promise.

I have photos of delicious things to eat - all collected on our camping trip. First we had cockles, then mud muscles, sea snails and finally Long Bums (yes really!). They were all delicious and even the pirate couldn't get enough.

And as for the deadlies - the small people and I shared a rockpool with a blue ringed octopus - which managed to swim right between us. I had always wondered what an encounter would be like.

Then, on the last day, we went for a walk along a beautiful beach. We stopped for a moment or two for my brother to do a little fishing. He spotted a large crocodile swimming past and we all watched it heading out to sea.

Then it vanished.

It came up a couple of minutes later much closer and followed us all along the beach for a few hundred metres hovering about 15m off shore. It made its move when we reached a narrow part of the beach where it came right up to the waters edge, had a very good look at us and seriously considered having a go.

It was nice to make it back to the safety of the car. My photos didn't come out very well at all - but the circled black dot off shore is it waiting till we reached the narrow bit.

culture shock

2009-07-21T21:35:00.011+10:00

I have travelled widely in my time. I have spent a year backpacking in Europe, including time behind the iron curtain, lived and worked in Borneo, been to Asia, spent months travelling India, been to the USA and back to Europe again, but, I am ashamed to admit, visiting an indigenous community in my own country has been, with the exception of India, not quite culture shock, but very much out there as an experience

I expected it to be vastly different to my own existence in this country, though much like I had seen on the TV as an engaged viewer and a past student of indigenous history at university. But, even though I had all this knowledge, I had no idea what to do and what to say, who to talk to and where to put myself.

Thankfully I had help in my sister-in-law, who interestingly is a recent migrant from France, not local at all. It does not escape my notice that the person who acts as my guide happens to be from somewhere completely different, but I wonder that maybe this makes accessing indigenous culture so much less complicated than for the guilt ridden overly sensitive 'Balanda' like me.

Having someone show me the way opened up a path to the kind of experience and slivers of understanding I always wanted. It was thrilling and something I am so very thankful for. We went to a few ceremonies, there are a lot this time of year, where we were welcomed warmly and not considered the intruding voyeurs as I had always assumed to be the case. I met some great women who took the time to teach me about what I was seeing.

So on top of the wonderful time on holidays with family I love, full of the usual highlights of a holiday in the warmth of the tropics, I had a cultural experience I cannot wait to repeat.

homeward

2009-07-20T15:23:00.006+10:00

We are headed home with tales and souvenirs. For me it is artwork. For the pirate it is an impressive collection of insect bites.

crocs, crabs and cockles

2009-07-16T15:16:00.004+10:00

We saw a croc! I joked with the pirate that he would see crocs but honestly I didn't think it would be true. We camped next to the beach and it was magic. We collected cockles at low tide the first night - and see the rocks along the sea edge in the background? the rocks right next to where we collected cockles not 15 minutes before? That's where the crocodile was hiding until some local kids, also camping nearby, spotted him did their best to menace him away.

roll on the rest of the NT adventure!

my beautiful balloon

2009-07-09T21:49:00.000+10:00

We are now officially on holidays. The bags are packed, the inflight entertainment of dvds, books, puzzles and snacks are lined up. I have some crochet - just in case I can get away with it again. We fly out at 6.20 am and arrive at out destination late in the afternoon. So so much wasted knitting time.

We are heading to Maningrida where the pirate will be reunited with his much loved cousins. We get to hang out, catch crabs and fish with my brother.

I hope to go the the Maningrida Arts Centre and come home with something like this

or maybe this

I feel the stress flowing out my fingertips already.

beanie weather

2009-07-05T21:18:00.004+10:00

I love seeing friends wearing beanies I have made - and like last winter there has been a few requests.

A fisherman's beanie for Scott. Dead easy in Bendigo Rustic 12 ply. It left for a trip to the snow today.

For my sister-in-law a Hawthorne, a pattern selected by her from some ravelry options I put together. This one was not so easy - in fact the most frustrating knit I have done. I went down a needle size and one section of pattern less and it is still large. It was also a pattern that I never really got into the rhythm of and so started to dread working on it. The end result isn't too bad but I glad it is over. Needle size 4 and knitted with cleckeaton country naturals (at least I think it was!).

In fact I don't think I would have finished it if it weren't for the tour de France knitalong starting yesterday. I am making Amelia from Knitty. I know it makes sense to knit socks - thank you Sarah and Dr K, but where is the stress in that? I want to get something really big out of my first knitalong.

2009-07-03T12:55:00.004+10:00

My toes are so cold all I can think about is wanting a pair of lovely warm handknitted wool socks on my feet right this second. I really do need to knit some for myself and stop giving them as gifts. Last month Dr K convinced me to make Hedera and I have even dyed some green yarn for them. Now I have signed up for the ravelry tour de france knit along and there is no chance I will get started before the end of the month. Poor me!

It is snowing, right this second - not here in Canberra itself but I can see the mountains from my desk, only I can't take a photo because I completely forgot to recharge my battery last night. I did have a friend over for some knitting and red wine which may have something to do with my forgetfulness.

it looks something like this

chinese water torture

2009-07-01T17:08:00.006+10:00

thank you for all your comments yesterday - it does help. It was a better day today but it's about to get a whole lot worse. Did I mention in my last post that the first mate is moving interstate?

Breathe in pain. Breathe out love.

A drip feed of results from the past couple of weeks of making begins now. For today we have the great fun knitting project for the National Gallery. I went to my stash and dug out all those really bright, awful synthetic I didn't think I would ever find a use for and knitted up a quick and very gaudy strip to wrap round a pole at the entrance - read about it here.

I dropped it off at the Gallery on Monday and did a quick run around the exhibits. Do you know they have a whole wall of old stuffed and knitted toys? - a whole wall! it is part of the soft sculpture exhibition. The pirate and I may head back there this weekend cause there is also a HUGE Darth Vader mask melting into the ground.

I'm back

2009-06-30T20:30:00.007+10:00

Thank you to Sarah for a tip for sorting out my Internet issues - which, as you can see, has worked wonderfully.

Where do I start? I would go through what I have been making but what is on my mind is how hard the past 2-3 weeks have been. My lovely pirate as been hating, hating school. Getting him there has involved all kinds of strategies - and I can't say I always spoke to him in a way I would have liked. Most of my energy has gone into working out what is going on for him, working out some remedies and finding a way to be a calm, compassionate and loving mother through it all.

Like many people I was bullied as a child and now it is happening to my little boy. He is only 5. The school have been magnificent and I can't think of another thing they could be doing - but what I have learned is that there is only so much you can do. The rest is up to the pirate. I now understand the desire to home school. I hope that I can help him work out strategies that be so useful for the rest of his life.

My pirate is not like the other boys - he is gentle, considered, proud and has an imagination that is like no other child I know. Not much good for the mainstream but likely to serve him very well as an adult.

There is a lot of time before then. I hope I can get him through without damage.

I'll get back to you

2009-06-29T12:21:00.002+10:00

this is a very quick post from work because I am stuck in web hell at home. For some reason I can't open the blogger site in my internet connect - it is the only thing I can't open and it is driving me nuts. I have a few F.O. to post and miss catching up with what everyone is up to - if any of you are computer geek enough to help with my little problem I would love to hear from you.

And to top it off my email stopped working 2 weeks ago and after hours trying to work it out yesterday - which included reloading outlook - I can get my emails only by turning off the firewall - which is not at all optimum.

Computers are doing my head in!

I am so glad I found you again

2009-06-10T11:09:00.006+10:00

long long ago - before I enjoyed knitting - I liked to sew. hell, I even quilted. I made my own clothes and used to make simple bags and the like for christmas presents. Then I sewed less and less. I could find things that fit better and were less risk in the shops - and I couldn't find a fabric to get excited about anywhere. My mother because a fanatical quilter and I liked to keep our points of difference to as many as I could. I stuck to sewing little things in felt for kids and the odd pair of pants for the pirate out of worn out pants of my own, and blinds for my windows, then I kind of stopped all together.

But now that has all changed through blogs. I have discovered a world of wonderful and amazing fabrics out there and what fantastic things people are doing with it. I met some very cool people who sewed things I loved. And though I can be smug about my knitting stocktake I also have to confess that I cannot be so smug about what I have been adding to my fabric stash.

I am making things - and am enjoying it so much. Like this

and this

now I just need to get better at it

fini

2009-06-10T10:33:00.004+10:00

All swaps are done - I am up to date and so very relieved. I have promised myself I will not sign up for another swap for the rest of the year. Instead I am home with flu and have started two projects.

Foolishness.

I have ripped back a simple bit of ribbing 3 times and while a very very simple lace scarf seemed to be going reasonably well, with mistakes I think I can live with, I left it on the lounge and found it later in the middle of the floor - off its needles

I am going to have a lie down

stocktake

2009-06-08T22:01:00.005+10:00

It is that time of year when we are surrounded by stocktake sales. It must be time for a little stash stocktake of my own.

In:
5 skeins of undyed knittery yarn
1 ball jo sharp tweed
4 bags fibre for spinning
2 skeins of handspun from the Canberra Spinners and weavers show
1 skein of orange yarn from a swap and some small embellishment balls
1 set of knitpick harmony interchangeables
1 ball of bendigo rustic
1 skein of jitterbug
I skein noro
2 balls of bamboo

Out
1 ball of handpun - gifted knit
2 balls of noro - gifted knits
1 ball jo sharp tweed - gifted knit
3 balls of bendigo - knitted, felted and gifted
7 skeins of malabrigo - knitted up into flair
1 skein of jitterbug - knitted and gifted
2 skeins of mama lush - knitted and gifted
1 ball of bendy rustic - knitted and gifted
2 skeins handdyed orange - swap and gift
1 skein handdyed green - knitted up for swap
1 skein noro - swap
1 skein handdyed green - swap
2 skeins handdyed - swap
2 balls bamboo - swap

More heading out than coming in is good - feeling smug, me?

I do think it is about time I slowed up on the swaps and made a couple of things fit for a sprout.

a solution

2009-06-05T21:01:00.005+10:00

I had a problem and thought I had a solution. I stalked Ravelry and one wonderful person sent me a rescue package. Except as luck would have it it was not what is was supposed to be. Two skeins labeled the same colour of a different dyelot - or are they?

I think not.

So to plan B.

I managed this with 7cm of the green remaining. I quite like the result, don't you? Can you cope with the mismatched socks - so much I think I will have to try it again sometime.

if it isn't one thing

2009-05-23T21:02:00.006+10:00

Thank you for the suggestions on the lone sock - I gave my friend the gift with a tag and let her stroke the sock briefly before telling her the bad news that not only had I been able to give her only one sock - but that she had to hand that one sock back. I decided to make sure she had something to keep though. Meet Bernice.

Poor Bernice is a little wonky because her birth was a busy affair - carried around the house while dinner was being prepared, baths done, and children (somehow I ended up with 3) attended to - a stitch made here, a stitch there, and all within an hour of leaving for the birthday dinner. I am not particularly good at forward planning, yes really.

I have a new problem though. My suspicion that a skein of Colinette jitterbug was not quite enough for a pair of socks like these was confirmed by the all knowing knitting guru at a wonderful Brown Owls get together this afternoon.

In anticipation of this yesterday I did put out a plea on Ravelry and wrote to a couple of people with this in their stash. So far nothing. Plan B is for mismatched socks with the second to have a contrasting heel and toe. I may do this to the toe of the first at least in the pretence of consistency.

I am going to put it out here too - I need about 20g of Jitterbug in Wasabi Squeeze. Anyone? Anyone?????

one is never enough

2009-05-22T11:44:00.003+10:00

I have a wee problem.

I have been knitting socks for a friend for her birthday. I have one finished and am about to start the second. It has gone rather slowly.

The problem is that her birthday is today and the dinner is tonight.

Any suggestions for a really cute way to present one sock only with a promise of the other on its way?

copy cat

2009-05-20T12:08:00.006+10:00

I have long enjoyed Rose Red's posts on shoes. I love a pair of shoes - and especially a quirky pair of shoes. I have considered posting on my shoes too - but that was being too much of a copy cat. I can hold back no longer because she just speaks to me, you know?

so like rose red I recently went on holidays. There are few holidays I return from without shoes. Shoes bought on holidays are momentos of the trip - and much better than a photo. Enter the latest - bought at Schmutters in Eumundi, Queensland.

The colour in the second pic is closer to the real thing. I think the camera was thrown by the over abundance of red in my lounge room.

Now I have been thinking of a sock to go with these also - something not too chunky, not too garish, not too pretty - something just right.

Something like this? or this? or this?

photos from Rav - KarenK, Sockenanja and Manisha

and I am thinking Green - a very close green to the middle one. A semi solid.

Now as people were so helpful in the choice of wrap (which I ended up not having enough yarn for sadly and am putting it off till I do) what are the suggestions on the perfect sock and the perfect yarn??

where else did we go???

2009-05-19T10:59:00.009+10:00

you asked for it! well someone did.

The-one-day-nut-tour-of-Melbourne

Nut is our very good friend and a Melbourne resident. She worked out the places she knew I would love and then, with the pirate, made a plan for the day. see?

We started out at Olive Grove textiles on Sydney Road Brunswick - and while waiting for the magic opening time popped up the road to Sly Baby for some bargains. If you are into retro clothes it is attached to Episode, which was very very good. I picked up the great skull jacket the pirate was wearing in the last post.

So back to Olive Grove - it is a clothing and print space. The shop is mostly taken up by a huge screen printing set up with lots of great handmade clothes, bags, underwear and jewelry around it. We went because they have some kids stuff and the pirates most grooviest pants came from there. Sadly he is a little too old now for much in the way of cute stuff - they seem to stop at size 4.

From here we were back in the car and across to Fitzroy for a visit to Meet me at Mikes and the Art Souvenir Shop - here I picked up a great present for my sister which I can't talk about right now. Around the corner to Arcadia on Gertrude for the best French toast I have had in a long long time. I don't have any shots of the french toast - we were too busy eating it to take a photo. I do have a photo of the pirate's magnificent pizza though.

By now we had enough energy for the Rose Street Artist market. Oh my lordy what a place. I picked up a few bits and pieces from Neil Thomas and his Wooden Postcards.

I am still lusting over a ring I saw - it was a silver teacup and saucer.

By now the pirate was over it.

We headed over to Westgarth to visit the primary school. You might recall that the pirate's school is going to be the first Canberra school to have a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden. You might also recall that I am designing it and am on the garden working group. Westgarth school has a very successful kitchen garden and I wanted to check it out - and how lucky was I to find a working bee in progress and the coordinator there to talk to? very.

I had a great look around, the pirate had a play and then we headed for the Flashback Fabrics. My wonderful friend kept the pirate entertained for a long long time while I looked at everything and came away with this.

By now we were very very tired. I had spent two days scooting around for work and eating great food and generally having a lovely time and then another day doing all this. It was good to retire to nut's house, open the red wine, make a curry and relax.

a little more

2009-05-17T21:29:00.009+10:00

of our Melbourne break - which did include some work, but then even the work was quite something.

When I wasn't at meetings we did what we do in Melbourne - I drank coffee - the pirate had milkshakes, we looked at shops, opp shops, at art and at tried not to spend all my money.

We both found treasure. Good, Good treasure. The pirate and opp shop with jewels and me - a retro fabric shop.

And then we did what all people do in Melbourne, right?

We turned a giant vegetable into a baby named Jim Clary Hawkins.

Sadly he was abandoned at the airport.

and Flair had its first outing - unblocked but still devine to wear. It did end up pilling quite badly unfortunately.

worn with some Melbourne purchases

and as an aside - this time my crochet hook was confiscated on the plane. rats.

the grass is greener

2009-05-17T20:55:00.007+10:00

in Melbourne

In fact Melbourne not only has green grass, unlike dry Canberra, but it also has a love affair with green...

maybe that is part of why I love it so much - and there is more to come on our few days in this great city.

a new start

2009-05-13T11:07:00.003+10:00

Firstly thank you for all those lovely comments. All the reasons people gave for blogging ring true for me also. It is good motivation, it is wonderful to feel part of a community, it reminds me to keep an eye on what everyone else is up to and to be inspired in what I do, it feels good to keep a record, and I get to show off what I finish to people who appreciate it.

Now I have started to increase my return effort by updating my follow list and spreading the love.

And now I have a dilemma I need help with. I was planning to start a wrap a few weeks ago but just couldn't get overly excited about what I was about to start - and I desperately wanted to finish off a couple of things. I have finally finished Flair a (I promise a photo once it is blocked, which will be next week). It still needs the perfect buttons - so I will be making a visit here.

But now I have startitis. So many choices I can hardly breathe with anticipation. I cannot, cannot make a decision and I fly out tonight needing to take something other than the socks I am working on. Last night I visited the wonderful library at Canberra Spinners and Weavers and found more things to get excited about from a wonderful book called Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle. The book provides patterns and stories from shawl traditions around the world.

more choices!

What really excites me is that it has quite a few wraps that are not at all 'pretty', fussy or girly because in my procrastination over starting the falling leaves wrap I have realised I just can't see myself wearing a particularly lacy wrap, nor a triangular one.

so here are a couple of options:

- from Norway - and I would do it as a rectangle wrap not a blanket! - or this?-

and this next one is pretty stunning even if I won't be making it. I can't decide if it is more because I am a sucker for green or it is simply gorgeous.

What is a sprout to do?

why blog?

2009-05-11T12:18:00.010+10:00

My last post had not one comment. Now I don't get a lot of comments on my little blog and that is fine, but no posts at all left me feeling somewhat low and this led me to wonder why my self esteem would take a blow from such a small thing. I had had the most marvellous day walking in the mountains with a friend and our small people, yet I could come home and check my computer and suddenly feel alone.

I had to ask myself why I blog (amongst other questions). I am sure we all have lots of reasons for this little habit - mine are simple. It is a fun way to keep a record of our lives and what small achievements are made and I feel part of a community. Blogging is being part of a culture of women who are creative and inspiring, because, while all of my close friends are creative and inspiring none knit or have the need to make things as I do. And, of course, we all want to be appreciated and noticed in some way don't we?

So expect me to me visiting a few more blogs I like and making sure I do my bit in spreading the love and appreciation.

I could also write a whole post on my ambivalent feelings about mother's day but I won't. I will, however, tell you I did make it a day. I informed the pirate he had to let me kiss him as much as I needed to because it was my day - he reluctantly obliged. I dragged him even more reluctantly to the hills with the promise of a cave (of sorts) at the end. He walked the most he ever has in one day and I am proud of him. Here is a little taster of what we saw.

Rock art - between 800 and 10,000 years old.
Rock art at Yankee Hat

Magic mountains

Soooo many roos.

and my favourite - wrinkles on a Eucalypt's branch join. Love it.

The pirate made it all the way back to the start distracted with a search for bigger and better bones. Here is his stash.

I think Harry Potter looks afraid.

old tins

2009-05-07T12:29:00.005+10:00

There is nothing quite like coming home to a brown package wrapped parcel on your doorstep.

My mum has been amused by my button love and promised a surprise. These are not hers, in fact she hadn't even been born when some of this was collected, they are from a shed my dad cleared out years ago as a favour to someone - wasn't it clever of him to not throw them out?

I thought both tins might contain buttons - but the second tin was altogether different treasure.

The pirate was as excited as I - he found all manner of glittering jewels and a key which fits into the key hole of his treasure chest perfectly. He loves that key. So much so he woke me at 2am to tell me he had gone to sleep with it in his hand and had lost it and needed to find it. now.

My love of button tins and small red headed pirates knows no bounds.

holiday snaps

2009-04-28T20:11:00.004+10:00

We are back to the usual routine all too soon. It is always too soon isn't it?

We did have a lovely holiday - visits to grandparents, friends and old haunts. Cocktails and squid on the beachfront at Noosa, finding enormous worms in the garden and some daredevil driveway rafting.

Grandma has a tin of buttons which belonged to her mother. I was a treasure chest for both a button fiend like me and the pirate.

They began to find their true form during a relaxing second week at the south coast...

and for the first time, I do believe, I managed to both start and finish a project in one break.

The details:

Taters cotton cardi. Free Ravelry pattern.

Made for Cousin Edie in Size 2

Yarn: Mama llama squish in Cowgirl. A mix of cashmere and merino. It is so so soft and is about a 5 ply. I have to say though that it is best not to knit with it whilst wearing black.

I would have added a photo of the lovely Cousin Edie wearing it if only she hadn't refused to put it on.

There was more making going on - but this I will save for another day.

The holiday was nicely polished off for the pirate with a visit to the powerhouse in Sydney to see... THE Star Wars exhibition. Oh such bliss for a 5 year old.

And now we are back to cold, snow capped hills and our little home - bliss for a sprout.

honey, I love you

2009-04-19T15:20:00.005+10:00

We are home and the pirate and first mate are reunited. Oh such happiness.

They have been together since 8am, moving between each house (I wonder at our good fortune having this wonderful family just across the street). Now they are playing on the tyre swing in our backyard. One is on the swing while the other winds it as high as they can - they are hoping to wind it high enough to see over the house.

This was the conversation while this went on.

'when are we going to see paint world?'

'Paintworld is so cool' (we have no paint world around here)

'Hey, we are both the dads going to paintworld'

'yes and you say "when are we going to be at paint world, honey?", I am called honey cause I like honey'

'and I am called vegemite cause I like vegemite'

'so when are we going to be there honey?'

'just a little while now vegemite'